Sea Dogs do the splits

Portland, Maine - The Sea Dogs (18-15) and Hartford Yard Goats (14-22) split their series-opening doubleheader on Tuesday night at Hadlock Field. Hartford took game one 3-0, Portland won game two 8-1.

Both starting pitchers went the distance in game one. Sam Howard (W, 1-3) threw a one-hitter and fanned four while walking just one. Teddy Stankiewicz (L, 1-1) allowed three runs on six hits with no walks and five strikeouts in his fourth career complete game.

Hartford scored the only run they would need on back-to-back doubles to lead off the second inning by Drew Weeks and Dillon Thomas. On Weeks' double, Joseph Monge and Danny Mars collided in the outfield. Mars was down for several minutes before remaining in the game, but was pulled the following inning.

Corelle Prime hit a two-run homer over the Maine Monster in the fourth to extend the Hartford lead to 3-0.

Howard didn't allow a Sea Dog to advance past second base. He retired the final 13 batters he faced and 19 of the final 20 after the first inning.

In game two, the Sea Dogs took an early lead on an RBI double by Rafael Devers on a 3-0 pitch.

Hartford tied it in the second inning on Josh Fuentes' RBI single, and Portland answered on Cole Sturgeon's bases loaded sac fly in the third to put the Sea Dogs ahead for good.

Portland exploded for six runs in the late innings, scoring three times in both the fifth and sixth innings.

Devers added another RBI single and double to his night, while Mike Olt hit an RBI double in the fifth and a three-run homer in the sixth.

Jacob Dahlstrand (W, 2-1) earned the victory, allowing one run on four hits over five innings. Luis Niebla (L, 1-3) allowed four runs on six hits in 5.1 innings in a losing effort.